Matt Law is plugged in at Chelsea as one of the top and longest serving journalists on that beat for the major broadsheets.
So we always listen to what he has to say, and today’s it’s good news.
He’s claiming that Chelsea captain Reece James is ready to return to full training next week “all being well, hopefully.” The right back picked up an issue right at the end of preseason and still hasn’t returned, so we’re not hopeful at all, but with a player that good, even the occasional game here and there is something to get excited about.
Our cup games should give him the perfect chance to work his way back to action slowly. He’s been on the grass for a while, so we’d imagine next week in training, followed by an appearance off the bench against Panathinaikos in two weeks should be enough to get him up to speed to potentially start our cup game against Newcastle at the end of this month.
You can see Law make his declaration in the clip embedded here:
🚨 @Matt_Law_DT EXCLUSIVE: Reece James, barring any new setbacks, is set to return to full training next week!
NEW MATT LAW SPECIAL 👉 https://t.co/cocwRsx6cL pic.twitter.com/FIYZqFLrlY
— London Is Blue Podcast ⭐️⭐️ (@LondonBluePod) October 11, 2024
We’ve said before that our expectations for Reece have shifted now. It’s clear that even the surgery he had last season isn’t going to change anything. His body is just not cut out for Premier League football, and he’s going to go on having injury problems likely for the rest of his career.
That’s a huge pity of course, but once we accept it, it allows us a clearer path forward. Instead of counting on him, we have a great right back in place, and just use James if and when he’s available. Our issue for so long was constantly banking on him returning and playing consistently. Once it’s been accepted that’s never going to happen, we can just enjoy the moments we do get of him.
